Deadly black widow spider venom discovered in virus

A virus has been discovered with a gene that codes for the poison of black widow spiders.
DNA of the arachnid were probably stolen by the virus in a bid to help it infiltrate animal cells, according to experts.
Bacterial viruses are generally thought to steal DNA only from bacteria, but researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee found that the virus, called WO, carries the gene for the spider toxin.
As well as this, the virus carries a patchwork of traces of other animal DNA.
"Discovering DNA related to the black widow spider toxin gene came as a total surprise because it is the... read more

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